The logistics service provider Dachser has been awarded the Gold Award of the German Packaging Prize 2025 in the category "Logistics & Material Flow". The awarded solution, the reusable transport system "Retail Box", was developed specifically for efficient and sustainable supply to retail branches. The award ceremony took place as part of the FACHPACK 2025 trade fair in Nuremberg.
"The award confirms once again our approach to developing innovative and sustainable logistics solutions that leverage the standards in our European general cargo network and at the same time are tailored to the specific requirements of our customers," says Stefan Hohm, Chief Development Officer (CDO) at Dachser.
In total, an independent jury had already awarded 37 solutions in various categories in July. Three of them have now additionally received the Gold Award for particularly groundbreaking innovations.
"Retail Box" by Dachser and Wanzl
The "Retail Box" was developed in close collaboration
with the Leipheim-based company Wanzl, a manufacturer of shopping and transport trolleys. The system consists of robust, lockable roll containers that are offered in two common pallet sizes – euro-pallet and half-pallet dimensions. The boxes are reusable and designed for the transport of hanging and lying goods, particularly for fashion items.
The solution was initially developed for the Dachser Fashion Logistics business area, but it is now also used in other areas of the consumer goods industry, for example for the transport of sensitive or high-value goods. The box, however, is not intended for the transport of food.
"Digital container tracking by the start-up Logistikbude and Deutsche Telekom"
A central element of the innovation is the digital tracking of the containers. Dachser relies on a platform developed in-house by the Cologne-based start-up Logistikbude. Real-time tracking is achieved using cost-effective mobile technologies such as NB-IoT, LTE-M and 2G in cooperation
with Deutsche Telekom. This allows the whereabouts of every single box to be monitored without gaps and the reusable system to be managed efficiently.
Dachser sees the award as a confirmation of its claim to innovation.
"We are very pleased about the additional award of the Gold Award. It shows that with the Retail Box we have created real added value for our customers. Through close collaboration with our partners, we have managed to develop an optimal and at the same time sustainable solution, based on less packaging material, for shop delivery," says Uwe Riechel, Department Head, Dachser Fashion Logistics.
The German Packaging Prize is awarded annually by the German Packaging Institute (dvi). The cross-industry and cross-material competition honors especially creative and forward-looking packaging solutions from domestic and international sources.
Logistics innovations at Dachser
Dachser has in recent months frequently stood out with interesting process innovations. Unter dem Motto
"Weg vom Klemmbrett" the logistics provider is betting on the no-code platform smapOne. This enables employees, without programming knowledge, to create their own apps — so-called "smaps" — which can digitally capture data sets, generate reports and map processes individually. App creation is performed intuitively with the help of pre-made modules or an AI-assisted assistant. This should simplify monotonous tasks, reduce errors and implement standardized processes across sites.
In seinen Lagerhäusern setzt Dachser verstärkt auch auf moderne Technologien, um Mitarbeitende zu entlasten und Prozesse flexibler zu gestalten. Kollaborative Roboter, so-called cobots, take on supportive tasks in repetitive activities and are used, for example in food logistics for value-added services. This is complemented by exoskeletons intended to ease physically demanding tasks such as lifting and carrying — especially when picking or repackaging. Autonomous guided transport systems (AGVs) are becoming increasingly common, moving pallets independently in the warehouse. (Source: Dachser, own
